Flyers Get a Massive Boost…Tyson Foerster Surprisingly Enters the East Playoff Chaos.
Tyson Foerster is back.
And not just back at some point down the road…back tonight against the Detroit Red Wings…in what is about as close to a playoff game as you can get in early April without it officially being one.
Forster’s return has been one of those quiet, under-the-radar developments that suddenly becomes massive when it turns real. Not long ago, the assumption around the league—and frankly within the Flyers organization—was that his injury would likely keep him out for the remainder of the season…..thatwas the timeline.
And then this morning….”He’s cleared. The plan os to play him tonight…
Before he went down, Tyson Foerster was was becoming one of the Flyers’ most reliable offensive weapons. There was a stretch earlier this season where he was right at—or near—the top of the team in goals, and over the last couple of years he’s quietly developed into exactly the kind of player contenders need this time of year…a true finisher… He’s not flashy in the way some young stars are…but he’s efficient, he’s smart, and he’s got that knack for finding space when it matters most. Coaches trust him…linemates read off him well…and opponents don’t love dealing with him because he doesn’t take many shifts off. Now drop that player back into a lineup that’s already trending upward…and things get interesting fast…Because it’s not just Forster.
Welcome to Philly Porter Martone.
Tonight is also the second NHL game, first home game, for Porter Martone, fresh off signing with the Flyers after his Michigan State season came to an end in the NCAA tournament. I saw him in person play for Michigan State this past weekend in the tournament Worcester….He is the real deal. His favorite team growing up was the Flyers. He plays like a Flyer…He is a game changer…
Martone brings a combination of skill and agitation that is going to translate…maybe not perfectly right away, but enough to matter. He’s the kind of player who annoys opponents into mistakes…and then has the hands to make them pay for it. Somewhere between Matthew Tkachuk and Corey Perry...
So now you’ve got a Flyers team that suddenly looks…healthy…….and deep.
Which brings us to the real question tonight…
Who comes out?
Because getting players back this late isn’t always simple. Chemistry matters. Roles have been established. Guys have stepped up in Foerster’s absence. And now, suddenly, there are more NHL-caliber forwards than there are spots available.
That’s a good problem…but it’s still a problem. Rick Tocchet is going to have to make some tough calls…not just tonight, but over the next stretch of games where every point gained gets more and more meaningful...
If you would ask me at the beginning of the season, one of the least likely sentences that I would write on April 2 m it would be this one….
There has got to be some feeling that the Flyers, who are second only to Buffalo in points since the Olympics, and have been playing so hard for each other, should be careful messing with this winning chemistry.
Tonight’s game is massive…
The Flyers and Red Wings are both right in the thick of it in the Eastern Conference race, and head-to-head matchups like this are the ones that swing seasons. These two points, especially in regulation, could be the difference…
We find out just how big this moment is.